PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, when announcing this at the DAP headquarters here on Tuesday's night, said Zulkefly Mohamad was the best candidate because he was young and with high education.

Meanwhile, Zulkefly Mohamad, when met by reporters, thanked the Pakatan Rakyat leadership for their trust in him.

In the last general election, Zulkefly Mohamad was the PAS candidate for the Lenggeng state seat, but lost to Barisan Nasional's Mustafa Salim with a 1,285 vote-majority.

A businessman, with a masters degree in science from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and a degree in Communication from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), was a former manager in a government-linked company and a telecommunications company.

When the Teluk Kemang Umno Youth nominated Isa to contest Bagan Pinang, several quarters expressed strong vews against his candidancy because he is considered a tainted leader.

Among them who had objected to the possibility of fielding Isa was former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Isa was found guilty of money politics by the Umno disciplinary board in 2005 - he was then the Federal Territories Minister - and suspended from the party for six years . However, his suspension was reduced to three years following an appeal.

The contest for the Bagan Pinang state seat was called following the death of Umno incumbent Azman Mohd Noor.

In the general election in March 2008, Azman defeated PAS' Ramli Ismail with a majority of 2,333 votes. He polled 6,430 votes against Ramli's 4,097.

Malay majority seat Bagan Pinang is part of the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat in Port Dickson with voters from the community making up 66 per cent of the electorate.

Of the four other state seats in Teluk Kemang, three - Port Dickson, Chuah and Lukut - are under the opposition while BN holds Linggi.

Wednesday, 16 September 2009

I have been tagged by my sister nuraina for "Save Yvonne's Sight" meme.

Twenty-two year old Yvone has a rare genetic disease – neurofibromatosis type 2 - that causes benign tumours to grow in her brain, spine and along her peripheral nerves - since she was16. The disease is incurable.

Yvonne has survived several surgeries to remove tumours - one on her spine and the rest on her brain. She is now semi-paralysed on her face, deaf, partially blind, has poor balance and a stiff right leg. Right now she needs to undergo yet another surgery.

Yvonne, who runs a blogwww.yvonnefoong.com is the author of I’m Not Sick, Just A Bit Unwell, (picture), has been raising money on her own to pay for her operations, is losing her eyesight. The operation is due in December and once again she needs to raise funds for it. The cost of the surgery is USD44,000 (RM154,770) and the cost of her hospital stay for two weeks is USD915 or RM3219.

"She has already raised RM10,000 of this but obviously still has a long way to go. She's hoping to raise the rest by republishing her book I'm Not Sick, Just A Little Bit Unwell in English and Chinese.The books are now available in Malaysian bookshops and from her website store. She is also selling T-shirts at bazaars and via her web site store. You can read about her surgery and donate to her fund here."

You can also help by sending on this meme. If you do, please follow these meme rules:

1. Create a blog entry titled "Meme: Save Yvonne's Sight"

2. List three things you love to see. Add in the picture of Yvonne's book cover. The URL is http://www.yvonnefoong.com/images/banner/my-story.jpg

3. End with the line, "Yvonne Foong is in danger of losing her eyesight thanks to neurofibromatosis (NF). Please find out how you can help her by visiting her blog at http://www.yvonnefoong.com."

4. Tag 5 blog friends. Be sure to copy the rules, OK?

5. If you have a Facebook account, please check out Ellen's new invention, a "feme" pronounced FEEM, a meme designed for Facebook here. And if you want to blog about NF, that would be great too!

The dates were announced by EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof at a press conference today.

Abdul Aziz said there are 13,664 voters in Bagan Pinang, of which 9,060 are normal voters while the remainder 4,604 are postal voters. The large number of postal voters are due to the presence of several army camps in the constituency.

This is the ninth by-election since the 12th general election in March last year.

The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Barisan Nasional assemblyperson Azman Mohammad Noor on Sept 4 due to blood infection.

Talking to reporters after announcing the dates, Abdul Aziz said the commission will not change its normal practice to allow postal votes to be cast on the polling day, as requested by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Abdul Aziz explained that postal voting is conducted two to three days prior to the actual polling day.

Stressing that this has been the standard practice thus far, he said that he will not entertain any request to change the system.

In the general election in March 2008, Azman defeated PAS' Ramli Ismail with a majority of 2,333 votes. He polled 6,430 votes against Ramli's 4,097.

Malay majority seat Bagan Pinang is part of the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat in Port Dickson with voters from the community making up 66 per cent of the electorate.

Of the four other state seats in Teluk Kemang, three - Port Dickson, Chuah and Lukut - are under the opposition while BN holds Linggi.

Last week, the Teluk Kemang Umno division unanimously nominated division chief Isa Samad as a candidate for the seat.

Meanwhile, Negeri Sembilan PAS has identified three "well-qualified" locals to be considered as the candidates but did not reveal them.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Hadi Awang said yesterday that the names had been submitted to PAS' central leadership for deliberation.

Friday, 11 September 2009

SHAH ALAM: The inquest into the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock was adjourned to Sept 17 to allow time for lawyers representing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to prepare their cross-examination of a witness who has alleged he was tortured.

Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas granted the request by Datuk Abdul Razak Musa, who is holding a watching brief for the MACC.

Abdul Razak also told the coroner that the MACC was going to file an appeal notice at the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya against the Petaling Jaya High Court on Thursday that had dismissed their leave application for a judicial review.

The application that was dismissed sought to prevent “mystery witness” T. Sivanesan, 22, from testifying at the inquest on the grounds that it had no relevance to the inquest and was merely aimed at tarnishing and smearing the MACC’s image.

Sivanesan, an assistant manager with Puncak Rezeki Makmur Sdn Bhd, first took the stand on Wednesday. He claimed then that he was beaten with an iron rod and suffered injuries to his head, kidneys and genital area during an MACC interrogation in September last year.

Abdul Razak filed an application for a judicial review under Section 323 of the Criminal Procedure Code to stop Sivanesan from testifying.

The application also sought to expunge Sivanesan’s testimony together with a police report and a set of photographs of his injuries.

On Thursday, the Petaling Jaya High Court dismissed the application. Justice Datin Yeoh Wee Siam said in her ruling that there was nothing illegal, incorrect or improper with the ruling made by Azmil Muntapha on Tuesday that allowed the testimony.

Gobind Singh Deo, who is representing Teoh’s family in the proceedings, had submitted that the Coroner should be allowed to conduct the inquest the way he sees fit.

In his ruling on Tuesday, Azmil Muntapha said Sivanesan’s testimony was relevant as the alleged torture took place at the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam and the same officers could have been involved in both incidents.

Thursday, 10 September 2009

PETALING JAYA: “Mystery witness” T. Sivanesan, 22, can continue taking the stand in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest after the High Court here dismissed an application by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to expunge his testimony.

Justice Datin Yeoh Wee Siam said in her ruling that there was nothing illegal, incorrect or improper with the ruling made by Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas on Tuesday regarding the relevance of evidence implicating the MACC.

“I have perused all the documents and considered all the submissions. There is nothing illegal, incorrect or improper by the Coroner to allow the witness Sivanesan to testify and I dismiss this application,” she said on Thursday.

Yeoh also rejected a stay of application by deputy public prosecutor Manoj Kurup, who represented the MACC in the application, and ordered all parties to proceed with the inquest.

Earlier, Manoj submitted to the court that the objections were based solely on the grounds that Sivanesan’s testimony would not assist the Coroner in the inquest but would be prejudicial to the MACC.

“The only essence or purpose of this witness was to smear, taint and tarnish the image of the MACC and nothing more. It has no nexus to the cause of death of Teoh,” he said.

Gobind Singh Deo, representing Teoh’s family, submitted that the Coroner should be allowed to conduct the inquest the way he sees fit.

He said the Coroner was dutybound to look into all matters necessary as to how the deceased died and this includes hearsay.

“Why was the MACC allowed to bring witnesses to say that nothing happened, while we aren’t allowed to bring our witness to say something had happened, did happen, and will continue to happen?” he said, adding that the Coroner has the prerogative to believe the witness or otherwise after being presented with the evidence.

On Wednesday, Datuk Abdul Razak Musa, who is holding a watching brief for the MACC, filed the application for a judicial review under Section 323 of the Criminal Procedure Code to stop Sivanesan from testifying in the inquest.

This was after Azmil Muntapha had allowed Sivanesan to take the stand despite strong objections from Abdul Razak.

Azmil said the testimony was relevant as Sivanesan’s alleged torture took place at the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam and the same officers could have been involved in both incidents.

The application also sought to expunge Sivanesan’s testimony together with a police report and a set of photographs of his injuries.

Sivanesan, an assistant manager with Puncak Rezeki Makmur Sdn Bhd, claimed that he was beaten with an iron rod and suffered injuries to his head, kidneys and genital area.

Teoh, who was the political secretary to Selangor executive councilor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was summoned to the MACC office located on the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam here on July 15 to be questioned over the alleged irregular disbursement of state funds.

He was found dead at the building’s fifth floor service corridor the following day.

The first two were charged with stepping on the cow's head, the third for bringing the animal's head while the remaining three for both bringing and stepping the cow's head.

They were charged with committing the offences at about 2.25pm on Aug 28, and face a maximum fine of RM5,000 or up to three years in jail or both upon conviction under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948.

They also face an alternative charge of wounding the feelings of Hindus by bringing the cow's head and stepping on it.

They pleaded not guilty to the charge under Section 298 of the Penal Code which carries up to a year's jail, a fine, of both.

Ahmad Mahayuddin and Ibrahim are the chairperson and the deputy of Section 23 residents' committee. Ahmad Mahayuddin is also the Section 23 Shah Alam Umno branch chief.

They were part of a larger group of people who took part in the protest against the Selangor government's decision to relocate a 150-year-old temple from Section 19 to their neighbourhood.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar asked for bail to be set at RM15,000 each while their lawyers Salehuddin Saidin and Afifudin Ahmad Hafifi wanted it reduced to RM500 each.

Salehuddin said that the amount quoted by the deputy public prosecutor was too high and would be a burden to all the accused.

He also said that his clients had given their cooperation to the police and that they had no intention of wounding the religion of others.

Justice Haslin then set bail at RM4,000 each with a guarantor. She also fixed Oct 21 to mention the case for trial.

Later, these six and six others were charged with illegal assembly under Section 27(5)(a) of the Police Act at the Shah Alam Magistrate's Court.

All of the claimed trial before magistrate Norkamilah Aziz.

The six who faced sedition trial was granted bail at RM300 each while bail for six others was set at RM500 each.

They are charged under Section 27(5)(a) of the Police Act 1967 and face a fine of between RM2,000 and RM10,000 or a year's jail upon conviction. The case will also be mentioned on Oct 21. - Malaysiakini

Earlier report:

Six people have been charged with sedition at the Shah Alam Sessions Court for allegedly causing racial tensions by displaying and stepping on a cow's head during a protest at the Selangor state secretariat on Aug 28.

The six were part of a larger group of people who took part in the protest against the Selangor government's decision to relocate a 150-year-old temple from Section 19 to their neighbourhood.

The six defendants claimed trial before Sessions judge Haslin Hassan.

The prosecuting team has asked for bail to be set at RM15,000 each while their lawyers Salehuddin Saidin and Afifudin Ahmad Hafifi wanted it reduced to RM500 each.

Justice Haslin then set bail at RM4,000 each with a guarantor. He also fixed Oct 21 to mention the case for trial.

After this, the six defendants will be charged with six others for taking part in an illegal assembly.

Meanwhile some 20 residents of Section 23 in Shah Alam have showed up at the court to show support for the 12.

"We are not guilty (in taking part in the protest. We are all united on this matter," a resident told reporters.

The protest, during which some of them had carried a cow's head and uttered strong remarks - sparked outrage among Malaysians, who have called for action be taken against them. - Malaysiakini.

Tuesday, 8 September 2009

Twelve people who took part in the cow-head protest at the Selangor state secretariat at Shah Alam on Aug 28 will be charged tomorrow. - Malaysiakini.

They will be charged with sedition and illegal assembly, said Selangor police chief Abdul Khalid Abu Bakar when contacted today.

“Now, the police are looking for them and once we locate them, we will record their statement once again before they are brought to court. Only 12 of them will be charged,” Abdul Khalid said.

He later confirmed that four of them had been arrested as at 5.45pm, while the rest will be hauled up by the end of the day.

Head of prosecution unit in the Attorney-General's Chambers, Abdul Majid Hamzah, said the protesters were not charged today as they could not be located.

"Once the police locate them, they will be brought to court and we will charge them with sedition and illegal assembly," he said.

Scores of journalists from various media organisations had camped at the Shah Alam court complex this morning in anticipation of legal action.

Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail's had said yesterday that charges would be brought against those who had taken part in the protest, mounted against the proposed relocation of a Hindu temple to Section 23.

He also said he was satisfied that those who carried the cow-head and spoke while stepping on the cow-head would be charged under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act or under Section 298 of the Penal Code.

They will face a second charge under Section 27(5) of the Police Act for illegal assembly.

Some 50 residents from Section 23 had taken part in the protest against the Selangor government's decision to relocate a 150-year-old temple from Section 19.

The manner in which the protest was conducted has sparked outrage among Malaysians, who have called for action be taken against them. Selangor exco member Dr Xavier Jeyakumar lodged a police report.

Monday, 7 September 2009

The Attorney General today said that he would be charging those who took part in the 'cow-head' protest 10 days ago, according to a report by Malaysiakini .

"I have decided to charge those who carried (the cow head) and spoke while stepping on the cow head under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act, alternatively under Section 298 of the Penal Code," said AG Abdul Gani Patail in a statement today.

He added that all the demonstrators will also face another charge under Section 27(5) of the Police Act for illegal assembly.

He said that the decision was based on the investigation paper submitted by the police to him this afternoon.

"I am satisfied based on the facts and evidence gathered by the police that the demonstrators should be taken to court," he said.

The investigation paper was the result of a two-week long police investigation into the protest which has put Malaysia on the international stage for the wrong reason after public outcry over the issue.

New site identified

On Aug 28, the demonstrators, residents of Shah Alam's Section 23, marched to the state secretariat to protest the proposed relocation of the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu temple from nearby Section 19.

They were reportedly unhappy that the 150-year-old temple is to be relocated in the Malay-Muslim majority neighbourhood.

The protest turned sour when several unidentified men came forward with a dismembered cow's head and placed it in front of the building gates.

Several individuals then proceeded to spit and step upon the animal's head while uttering threats apparently directed at Selangor executive councillor for health, plantation workers, poverty and caring government Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

An attempt by the the state government to hold a dialogue with the residents last Saturday turned rowdly when the residents vehemently objected to the temple being relocated to their neighbourhood.

Following this the state government shelved the plan to relocate the temple but today announced that another site has been found in Section 23 for the relocation.

The Selangor Government has identified a new, more suitable site for the relocation of the 150-year-old Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu temple in Section 19 here, according to a Star report .

A press statement from the state government said that the new site is still in Section 23 but was more strategic and located 100m from the original relocation site and 400m from the residential area.

The state government would discuss the matter with the temple committee and look for an amicable solution acceptable to all parties, the statement said.

It said that the identification of the new site was the result of the efforts of Batu Tiga assemblyman Rodziah Ismail, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, Shah Alam Mayor Mazalan Md Noor and PKNS chairman Othman Omar who checked out suitable sites in Section 18, 19, 20 and 23.

This resulted in Khalid saying that the relocation of the temple in Section 19 to Section 23 would be shelved temporarily.

He, however, said the state government is looking for more suitable sites to relocate the temple.

Earlier in the morning, Khalid had a dialogue session with Section 23 residents to resolve the issue of the relocation of a century-old temple from Section 19 to Section 23.

He wanted to explain to the residents the reasons for the relocation and to find an amicable solution.

His explanation and that of the Shah Alam mayor Mazalan Md Noor fell on deaf ears as protesters and residents numbering some 300 constantly shouted and booed at them.

Also trying to explain to the unruly crowd were Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, Batu Tiga state assemblyman Rodziah Ismail, and state development agency PKNS chief Othman Omar.

The dialogue session ended at about 12.30pm without any amicable solution due to the fracas.

Khalid announced that there was no final decision on the matter yet as an agreement could not be reached at the dialogue.

The dialogue was planned when residents of Section 23 here staged a protest last Friday against the Pakatan Rakyat-led government’s decision to relocate a 150-year-old temple from Section 19 to their Malay-majority area.

The protest sparked controversy when some of the participants brought along a cow’s head and left it at the gates of the state secretariat building.

Wednesday, 2 September 2009

Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen adjourned to Heritage Hotel in Ipoh (picture above) to hold the state assembly sitting at 11.45am after they were denied entry into state assembly hall

Three Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen, two DAP members and a Press photographer were arrested when they failed to adhere to police order to disperse in front of the state secretariat building today.

Datuk Ngeh Hor Kam, state assemblyman of Sitiawan, Chan Ming Kai, (Simpang Pulai) and Keshvinder Singh (Malim Nawar) were brought to the Sungai Senam police station and later transferred to the Federal Reserve Unit headquarters nearby.

The group who gathered in front of the DAP office at 9.40am walked towards the state secretariat building and was stopped by FRU personnel.

A shouting match erupted and things got out of control as police tried to seize a loud hailer from Ngeh. - The NSTonline

On Monday, former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said the state assembly sitting would convene as usual today although it has been declared illegal by the Barisan Nasional-appointed Speaker Datuk R. Ganesan.

Ganesan said the Perak assemblymen were not obliged to attend the state assembly sitting on Wednesday adding that Sivakumar’s move to call for a state assembly sitting was strange since he was no longer the Speaker.

In May, Sivakumar had issued the notice for an emergency state assembly sitting as stipulated under the Standing Orders.

However, the sitting did not take place and the assemblymen later held a meeting underneath the “democracy” tree outside the state assembly building. Go here for an account of what transpired.

Have a Heart: Save IJN

Israel’s assault on Gaza, by air, sea and now land, has killed (at the time of this writing) more than 600 Palestinians, with more than 2,700 injured. Ten Israelis have been killed, three of them Israeli soldiers killed by friendly fire. Beyond the deaths and injuries, the people of Gaza are suffering a dire humanitarian crisis that is dismissed by the Israeli government. There is, however, Israeli opposition to the military assault. Read here...

Human Rights

Tok Mommy

About Me

Child Safety

Parents, guardians, and adults who care for children face constant challenges when trying to help keep children safer in today's fast-paced world.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) offers easy-to-use safety resources to help address these challenges.
For decades, children were taught to stay away from "strangers." But this concept is difficult for children to grasp and often the perpetrator is someone the child knows.
It is more beneficial to help build children's confidence and teach them to respond to a potentially dangerous situation...
Read more...

Why Hamas is NOT the issue

Mohammed, age six, marched with determination to his bedroom, put on a record of the Fatah marching song, picked up a wooden toy rifle and marched out to the balcony. He pointed the rifle to the sky where minutes ago, Israeli planes flew over dropping bombs on Palestinian refugee sites. Mohammed told me he wanted to be a pilot so he could fight Israeli warplanes. “But Mohammed, the Palestinians do not have planes.” “I don’t care, I will fight them whatever way I can.”Was a resistance fighter born this minute or was he a “future terrorist”? (Beirut 1973)

How does one explain the horrific fate that has befallen caged Gaza – a land saturated with rubble and body parts – carpet-bombed by air, invaded by ground, attacked by sea? Put to the test of history, Israeli “explanations” fail the credibility test. continue here---------------------------------------------Robert Fisk: Leaders lie, civilians die, and lessons of history are ignoredWe've got so used to the carnage of the Middle East that we don't care any more – providing we don't offend the Israelis. It's not clear how many of the Gaza dead are civilians, but the response of the Bush administration, not to mention the pusillanimous reaction of Gordon Brown, reaffirm for Arabs what they have known for decades: however they struggle against their antagonists, the West will take Israel's side. As usual, the bloodbath was the fault of the Arabs – who, as we all know, only understand force. ..Continue here

War on Gaza

Israel's failure to learnBy Nir Rosen (Aljazeera)

When George Bush, the US president, first entered the White House as the commander-in-chief in 2001, Palestinians were being killed in the al-Aqsa intifada.

Eight years later, as Bush prepares to leave office, Israel is carrying out one of the largest massacres in its 60-year occupation of Palestine.

The US, then and now, strongly backs Israel's offensive, justifying it as being, in fact, defensive.To continue read here ...